Manually guided vehicle capable of working on rails

ABSTRACT

A manually guided vehicle capable of working on rails is described. The manually guided vehicle has a frame, a set of moving wheels, a guiding wheel, and a supporting device. The moving wheels provide the manually guided vehicle with the capability of moving on rails or on the ground. The guide wheel provides the manually guided vehicle with the capability of moving along rails. The guide wheel can be raised to move the manually guided vehicle off of the rails directly. The supporting device provides double direction forking and horizontal rotating capabilities. The rails include a U-type guiding rail to limit the guide wheel to motion thereon. The manually guided vehicle further has a laser pointer to indicate the position of the manually guided vehicle and further cooperates with position labels stuck on working stations along the rail to enhance the parking position accuracy of the manually guided vehicle.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a manually guided vehicle andespecially to a manually guided vehicle capable of working on rails.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Automated guided vehicles (AGVs) perform in an important role ofmaterial transportation in an automatic factory. Most of the automatedguided vehicles are rail guided vehicles (RGVs). The RGV not onlyprovides an efficient material transportation for the automatic factoryand the automatic warehouse but also provides a powerful transportationfor movement of heavy goods, weighing perhaps more than a hundred tons.

[0003] If the factory layout is changed, the rail will be modified tofit the new layout. Generally speaking, although a factory is highlyautomated, the rail guided vehicle still cannot reach all the workingareas of the factory due to the rail layout limitation. Therefore,manually guided vehicles are still utilized in both ordinary andautomated factories. A manually guided vehicle is especially utilized ina factory whose rails are not established, in a factory whose rails havebeen damaged, or in places lacking rails in a factory. The manuallyguided vehicle provides an important capability with highly flexibleoperations.

[0004] Due to the rapid progress of optical technology and semiconductortechnology, liquid crystal displays (LCD) have been widely applied inelectrical products. From a LCD monitor having a small display size to aLCD television having a large display size, the LCD size is extending.More and more people choose to purchase large size LCD televisions.

[0005] LCD manufacture requires a very clean environment, such as aclean chamber, to enhance the yield rate and quality level thereof. Acassette is utilized to protect and isolate the LCDs duringtransportation within a factory. Therefore, the size of the LCD cassetteis increased according to the size of the LCD. The large size LCDcassette is very difficult to move, especially in a new factory withoutan established RGV system. Hence, the quality of the LCD is difficult tocontrol in the initial stage of the new factory, because that the LCDcassettes are loaded and unloaded by manpower.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] One object of the present invention is to provide a manuallyguided vehicle capable of working on rails to transport materials andstorage boxes thereof

[0007] Another object of the present invention is to provide a manuallyguided vehicle that possesses a turntable and a telescopic fork to loadand unload a LCD cassette in two directions, left and right, of themanually guided vehicle,

[0008] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide amanually guided vehicle that possesses a storable guide wheel thatallows convenient entrance and exit from the rails.

[0009] Still another object of the present invention is to provide amanually guided vehicle with a laser pointer to improve a workingposition accuracy of the manually guided vehicle.

[0010] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with theobject of the invention, the present invention provides a manuallyguided vehicle capable of working on rails. The manually guided vehicleincludes a frame, a handle, a set of moving wheels, a guide wheel, and asupporting device. The moving wheels enable the manually guided vehicleto move on rails or on the ground. The guide wheel limits the manuallyguided vehicle when moving on rails and the guide wheel can be raised toallow the manually guided vehicle to be pushed off the rails directly.The supporting device is disposed above the frame to provide functionsof double side forking and horizontal rotation.

[0011] The rails further include a U-type guiding rail and the guidewheel clamps the U-type guiding rail to limit the manually guidedvehicle to movement on the rails. The supporting device further has atelescopic fork for double side forking and a turntable for rotatingalong a horizontal surface.

[0012] The manually guided vehicle according to the present inventionfurther utilizes a laser pointer to indicate a position of the manuallyguided vehicle. The laser pointer cooperates with a position labelattached on a work station to indicate a parking position of themanually guided vehicle so that the parking position accuracy of themanually guided vehicle can be enhanced.

[0013] The position label includes a dark ground and a light reflectionline. While the laser pointer emits a red laser beam, the position labelhaving a blue ground and a white reflection line is detected to show theposition of the laser beam clearer.

[0014] The manually guided vehicle according to the present inventionfurther has a handle for moving the manually guided vehicle and aparking device for parking and fixing the manually guided vehicle. Themanually guided vehicle according to the present invention is preferredfor transport of a liquid crystal display cassette.

[0015] Hence, the manually guided vehicle according to the presentinvention not only works on rails but also works on the ground of thefactory so that the work area of the manually guided vehicle isefficiently extended. The manually guided vehicle according to thepresent invention further provides a laser positioning function, adouble side forking function, and a function of directly pushing themanually guided vehicle of the rails from one side of the rails.Therefore, the manually guided vehicle according to the presentinvention enhances the LCD transportation convenient ability andreliability for the LCD manufacture especially during a test run period.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The foregoing aspects and many of the attendant advantages ofthis invention will be more readily appreciated as the same becomesbetter understood by reference to the following detailed description,when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

[0017]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a manually guided vehicle capableworking on a rail according to the present invention and rails;

[0018]FIG. 2A is a front view of the manually guided vehicle capableworking on a rail according to the present invention;

[0019]FIG. 2B is a top view of the manually guided vehicle capableworking on a rail according to the present invention; and

[0020]FIG. 3 is schematic view of a laser pointer of the manually guidedvehicle and a work station with a position label.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0021] The following description is the best presently contemplated modeof carrying out the present invention. This description is not to betaken in a limiting sense but is made merely for the purpose ofdescribing the general principles of the invention. The scope of theinvention should be determined by referencing the appended claims.

[0022]FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a manually guided vehicle capable ofworking on rails according to the present invention and rails. Themanually guided vehicle 100 includes a frame 104, a supporting device106 disposed on the frame 104, and a handle 102 disposed on the rearside of the frame 104. The handle 102 allows a user to push the manuallyguided vehicle 100. A cassette 120 is disposed on the supporting device106 to hold substrates, semifinished products, and LCD products fortransport to a work station 110. The cassette 120 provides functions ofprotection and isolation for these substrates, semifinished products,and LCD products.

[0023] When the manually guided vehicle 100 is utilized to transport thecassette 120 to the work station 110 and place the cassette 120 on thework station 110, the manually guided vehicle 100 is moved along a rail130 and a rail 140 until the manually guided vehicle 100 arrives at theposition of the work station 110. The rail 130 is flat rail forsupporting the manually guided vehicle 100 moving thereon. The rail 140is an anti-lateral movement rail to prevent the manually guided vehicle100 from derailing.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 2A and 2B simultaneously. FIG. 2A is a frontview of the manually guided vehicle capable of working on a railaccording to the present invention and FIG. 2B is a top view of FIG. 2A.A lift control device 210, a telescopic fork control device 220, atelescopic fork fixing device 280, a parking device 290 and handles 102are disposed on the rear side of the frame 104 of the manually guidedvehicle 100 for a user to conveniently control the manually guidedvehicle 100.

[0025] The supporting device 106 having a telescopic fork 230 and aturntable 240 is disposed on the front end of the frame 104. The movingwheels 250 are assembled on the bottom of the frame 104 so that themanually guided vehicle 100 can move on the rail 130 and the rail 140,as well as the ground anywhere in the factory. A guide wheel 260 clampson the rail 140, such as a U-type guiding rail, to constrain themanually guided vehicle 100 to movement on the rail 130 and the rail 140and prevent the manually guided vehicle 100 from derailing. The manuallyguided vehicle 100 further includes a laser pointer 270 to indicate anaccurate position of the manually guided vehicle 100. A laser pointer270 is coordinated with a position label 310 (see FIG. 3) to furtherimprove the position accuracy of the manually guided vehicle 100,

[0026] The following description details each element of the manuallyguided vehicle 100 and functions thereof. The description isillustrative of the present invention rather than limiting of thepresent invention. When the manually guided vehicle 100 is moving alongthe rail 130 and the rail 140, the guide wheel 260 clamps the rail 140,the U-type guiding rail, to constrain the manually guided vehicle 100moving along the rail 130 and the rail 140 and prevent derailing. Whenthe manually guided vehicle 100 wants to move on the ground and leavethe rail 130 and the rail 140, the guide wheel 260 is raised so as torelease the rail 140, the U-type guiding rail. Accordingly, the manuallyguided vehicle 100 easily leaves the rail 130 and the rail 140 from aside of the rail 130. A preferred moving wheel 250 is made of anon-metal material, such as plastic or rubber, so that the manuallyguided vehicle 100 may easily anywhere move on the ground of a factory.However, a metal moving wheel is still within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention.

[0027] The manually guided vehicle 100 can efficiently move in thefactory to deliver materials, semifinished product, and LCD product toanyplace in the factory so as to efficiently support the manufacture ofthe production line.

[0028] When the LCD panel is in a test run or in mass production, themanually guided vehicle 100 is normally utilized to delivery thecassette 120. The cassette 120 stores and isolates the substrate and thesemifinished product to transfer conveniently the same to anotherworking station. In transporting a LCD cassette, the manually guidedvehicle 100 is pushed to a work station 110 (see FIG. 1) along the rail130 and the rail 140. The manually guided vehicle 100 is then stopped ata predetermined position of the work station 100 when the operator stepson the parking device 290. At that moment, the operator tuns on thetelescopic fork fixing device 280 and then loads or unloads the cassette120.

[0029] If the cassette 120 is unloaded from the work station 110, thatis to say, the cassette 120 is removed from the work station 110, theoperator first moves the telescopic fork 230 with the telescopic forkcontrol device 220. The telescopic fork 230 provides a double directionforking function, that is to say, the telescopic fork 230 can fork thecassette 120 deposited on the work station from both left side and rightside of the manually guided vehicle 100. A conventional manually guidedvehicle has to turn the vehicle 180 degrees when a cassette deposited onanother side is to be loaded onto or unloaded from the manually guidedvehicle. The manually guided vehicle 100 according to the presentinvention efficiently improves the operation inconvenience incurred by aconventional manually guided vehicle.

[0030] After the telescopic fork 230 has been extended to the bottom ofthe cassette 120, the lift control device 210 is turned to move thesupporting device 106 up a predetermined height. Therefore, the cassette120 is separated from the work station 110. The telescopic fork controldevice 220 is turned for returning the telescopic fork 230 until thetelescopic fork 230 is restored to the center position of the supportingdevice 106. Then, the telescopic fork 230 is locked by the telescopicfork fixing device 280 to fix the telescopic fork 230 and the turntable240.

[0031] If the cassette 120 is unloaded onto the work station 110, thatis to say, the cassette 120 is removed from the manually guided vehicle100 to the work station 110, the operator first unlocks the telescopicfork fixing device 280 and then moves the telescopic fork 230 with thecassette 120 toward the work station 110 by the telescopic fork controldevice 220. After the telescopic fork 230 has been extended to the topposition of the work station 110, the lift control device 210 is turnedto move the supporting device 106 down the predetermined height.Therefore, the cassette 120 is placed on the work station 110 and thenthe telescopic fork 230 is moved down more to separate from the cassette120. Subsequently, the telescopic fork control device 220 is turned forreturning the telescopic fork 230 until the telescopic fork 230 isrestored to the center position of the supporting device 106.

[0032] If the cassette 120 has to be placed on a new work stationopposite to the work station 110, that is, on the other side of themanually guided vehicle 100, the manually guided vehicle 100 accordingto the present invention can easily turn the cassette 120 to face thenew direction and place the cassette 120 onto the new work stationopposite to the work station 110 by way of turning the turntable 240about 180 degrees along a horizontal surface.

[0033] The manually guided vehicle 100 according to the presentinvention further includes the laser pointer 270 to enhance the positionaccuracy thereof. FIG. 3 is schematic view of a laser pointer of themanually guided vehicle and a work station with a position label. Thelaser pointer 270 emits a laser beam, such as a visible red laser beam,to indicate the position of the manually guided vehicle 100. As themanually guided vehicle 100 is moving along moving direction 340, thelaser beam emitted by the laser pointer 270 is synchronized moving alongthe moving direction 340. Furthermore, the laser pointer 270 cooperateswith the position label 310 stuck on the work station 110 so as tomanifest the accurate position of the manually guided vehicle 100.

[0034] The position label 310 combines a dark label ground 320 with alight reflection line 330. The label ground 320 is preferably blue andthe reflection line 330 is preferably white when the laser beam is avisible red color. Hence, the red laser beam can distinguish the whitereflection line 330 so that the laser pointer 270 can precisely indicatethe position of the manually guided vehicle 100 and the operator canpark the manually guided vehicle 100 more accurately according to theindications of the laser pointer 270 on the position label 310. Themanually guided vehicle 100 according to the present invention canefficiently enhance the working position accuracy to improve the poorposition recognition capacity of the conventional manually guidedvehicle.

[0035] The lift control device 210 and the telescopic fork controldevice 220 utilize manual wheels to control the supporting device 106and the telescopic fork 230. However, the lift control device 210 andthe telescopic fork control device 220 are not limited to the manualwheels. A power control device, such as an electrical power controldevice or a similar control device, is within the spirit and scope ofthe present invention. Further, the parking device 290 can directly linkwith the moving wheel 250 or utilize a stopping wheel to stop themanually guided vehicle.

[0036] As is understood by a person skilled in the art, the foregoingpreferred embodiments of the present invention are illustrative of thepresent invention rather than limiting of the present invention. It isintended that various modifications and similar arrangements be includedwithin the spirit and scope of the appended claims, the scope of whichshould be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass allsuch modifications and similar structures.

What is claimed is:
 1. A manually guided vehicle capable of working onrails, the manually guided vehicle comprising: a frame; a handledisposed on a rear side of the frame for ease of operation; a set ofmoving wheels providing the manually guided vehicle a capability ofmoving on rails or ground, wherein the rails comprise a U-type guidingrail; a guide wheel clamping on the U-type guiding rail to limit themanually guided vehicle to moving along the rails; and a supportingdevice disposed above the frame, wherein the supporting device iscapable of double side forking.
 2. The manually guided vehicle of claim1, wherein the supporting device further comprises a telescopic forkproviding the double side forking capacity for the supporting device. 3.The manually guided vehicle of claim 2, wherein the supporting devicefurther comprises a turntable to allow the supporting device to turnupon a horizontal surface.
 4. The manually guided vehicle of claim 1,wherein the manually guided vehicle further comprises a parking deviceto provide parking and fixing functions for the manually guided vehicle.5. The manually guided vehicle of claim 1, wherein the manually guidedvehicle further comprises a laser pointer to indicate a position of themanually guided vehicle.
 6. The manually guided vehicle of claim 5,wherein the laser pointer emits a laser beam on a position labelattached on a work station to indicate a parking position of themanually guided vehicle.
 7. The manually guided vehicle of claim 6,wherein the position label comprises a dark ground and a lightreflection line.
 8. The manually guided vehicle of claim 7, wherein theposition label comprises a blue ground and a white reflection line. 9.The manually guided vehicle of claim 6, wherein the laser beam is avisible red laser beam to indicate the position of the manually guidedvehicle.
 10. The manually guided vehicle of claim 1, wherein the guidewheel is able to be raised for releasing from the U-type guiding rail sothat the manually guided vehicle can be pushed off of the railsdirectly.
 11. A manually guided vehicle capable of working on rails totransport a liquid crystal display (LCD) cassette, the manually guidedvehicle comprising: a frame; a handle disposed on a rear side of theframe for ease of operation; a set of moving wheels providing themanually guided vehicle a capability of moving on rails or ground,wherein the rails comprise a U-type guiding rail; a guide wheel clampingthe U-type guiding rail to limit the manually guided vehicle to movingalong rails, wherein the guide wheel is able to be raised for pushingthe manually guided vehicle off of the rails; a supporting devicedisposed above the frame, wherein the supporting device is capable ofdouble side forking and turning the LCD cassette, wherein the supportingdevice further comprises. a telescopic fork providing the double sideforking capacity for the supporting device; and a turntable providingthe supporting device with an ability to turn the LCD cassette on ahorizontal surface; a parking device for parking and fixing the manuallyguided vehicle; and a laser pointer indicating a position of themanually guided vehicle.
 12. The manually guided vehicle of claim 11,wherein the laser pointer emits a laser beam on a position labelattached on a work station to indicate a parking position of themanually guided vehicle.
 13. The manually guided vehicle of claim 12,wherein the position label comprises a dark ground and a lightreflection line.
 14. The manually guided vehicle of claim 13, whereinthe laser beam is a visible red laser beam to indicate the position ofthe manually guided vehicle.
 15. The manually guided vehicle of claim13, wherein the position label comprises a blue ground and a whitereflection line.
 16. A manually guided vehicle capable of working onrails to transport a liquid crystal display (LCD) cassette, the manuallyguided vehicle comprising: a frame; a set of moving wheels providing themanually guided vehicle a capability of moving on rails or ground; aguide wheel for limiting the manually guided vehicle to moving alongrails, wherein the guide wheel is able to be raised for pushing themanually guided vehicle off of the rails; and a supporting devicedisposed above the frame for double side forking and rotating along ahorizontal surface.
 17. The manually guided vehicle of claim 16, whereinthe rails comprise a U-type guiding rail, the guide wheel clamping theU-type guiding rail to limit the manually guided vehicle to moving alongthe rails.
 18. The manually guided vehicle of claim 16, wherein thesupporting device further comprises: a telescopic fork providing thedouble side forking capacity for the supporting device; and a turntableproviding the supporting device with a function of turning along ahorizontal surface.
 19. The manually guided vehicle of claim 16, whereinthe manually guided vehicle further comprises a laser pointer toindicate a position of the manually guided vehicle.
 20. The manuallyguided vehicle of claim 19, wherein the laser pointer emits a laser beamon a position label attached on a work station to indicate a parkingposition of the manually guided vehicle.